The "The Hindu" Vocab & Editorial from December 20, 2025, is a great resource for SSC and Railway exam aspirants. It not only helps improve your vocabulary but also strengthens your grammar and deepens your understanding of editorial articles. 

By reading it regularly, you'll stay prepared throughout the year, easing last-minute exam stress. Over time, this habit will boost your reading comprehension skills and increase your confidence for competitive exams like SSC CHSL, CGL, CPO, GD, and more.

Daily "The Hindu" Vocab & Editorial 20 December 2025

The Daily "The Hindu" Vocab & Editorial for December 20, 2025, is designed to help you enhance your vocabulary, improve grammar, and develop a deeper understanding of editorial articles. 

Regular reading of these sections keeps you prepared for competitive exams like SSC, Railway, and more. Below, we’ve provided a video link for a detailed breakdown of today’s editorial and vocabulary, helping you master key concepts and boost exam readiness.

Daily "The Hindu" Vocab 20 December 2025

Brisk

• Meaning: Quick, swift
  
  

• Synonyms: Rapid, fast, speedy
  
  

• Antonyms: Slow, sluggish
  
  

• Example: She walked briskly to catch the bus.
  
  

• Hindi: तेज़, शीघ्र
  
  

Ruthless

• Meaning: Without pity or compassion
  
  

• Synonyms: Harsh, cruel
  
  

• Antonyms: Compassionate, kind
  
  

• Example: The ruthless businessman showed no mercy.
  
  

• Hindi: निर्दयी, निर्मम
  
  

Uncapped

• Meaning: Not limited or restricted
  
  

• Synonyms: Unlimited, unrestrained
  
  

• Antonyms: Limited, capped
  
  

• Example: The uncapped potential of the company surprised everyone.
  
  

• Hindi: अनियंत्रित, बिना सीमा के
  
  

Variance

• Meaning: A difference or disagreement
  
  

• Synonyms: Disparity, variation
  
  

• Antonyms: Consistency, similarity
  
  

• Example: There was a variance in their opinions about the policy.
  
  

• Hindi: अंतर, भिन्नता
  
  

Registered pool

• Meaning: A list of people or items
  
  

• Synonyms: List, directory
  
  

• Antonyms: Random selection, unlisted
  
  

• Example: The names were added to the registered pool of candidates.
  
  

• Hindi: पंजीकृत सूची
  
  

Ply one’s wares

• Meaning: To sell or offer goods
  
  

• Synonyms: Trade, sell, offer
  
  

• Antonyms: Hoard, keep
  
  

• Example: The merchant plied his wares in the marketplace.
  
  

• Hindi: अपने सामान को बेचना
  
  

Gamble

• Meaning: To take a risk or chance, often with money
  
  

• Synonyms: Risk, venture
  
  

• Antonyms: Secure, safe
  
  

• Example: He gambled everything on his new startup.
  
  

• Hindi: जुआ, जोखिम उठाना
  
  

Turned up for

• Meaning: To show up or arrive for something
  
  

• Synonyms: Attended, appeared
  
  

• Antonyms: Missed, skipped
  
  

• Example: He turned up for the meeting on time.
  
  

• Hindi: उपस्थित होना
  
  

Devoid

• Meaning: Lacking or without
  
  

• Synonyms: Lacking, empty
  
  

• Antonyms: Full, complete
  
  

• Example: His response was devoid of emotion.
  
  

• Hindi: वंचित, रहित
  
  

Nucleus

• Meaning: The central part of something, especially in science
  
  

• Synonyms: Core, center
  
  

• Antonyms: Outer, peripheral
  
  

• Example: The nucleus of the cell contains the genetic material.
  
  

• Hindi: केंद्र, नाभिक

Synonyms & Antonyms:

1. Brisk
   
   

• Synonyms: Quick, swift, rapid
  
  

• Antonyms: Slow, sluggish, lazy
  
  

2. Ruthless
   
   

• Synonyms: Cruel, merciless, callous
  
  

• Antonyms: Compassionate, kind-hearted, empathetic
  
  

3. Uncapped
   
   

• Synonyms: Unlimited, unrestrained
  
  

• Antonyms: Limited, restricted, controlled
  
  

4. Variance
   
   

• Synonyms: Disparity, difference, deviation
  
  

• Antonyms: Similarity, uniformity, consistency
  
  

5. Gamble
   
   

• Synonyms: Risk, venture, hazard
  
  

• Antonyms: Safety, certainty, assurance
  
  

6. Devoid
   
   

• Synonyms: Lacking, deficient, empty
  
  

• Antonyms: Full, abundant, complete

One-Word Substitution:

1. A person who deliberately damages public property:
   
   

• Answer: Vandal
  
  

2. An act of deliberately setting fire to property:
   
   

• Answer: Arson
  
  

3. A sudden gain:
   
   

• Answer: Bonanza
  
  

4. A person who engages in sabotage:
   
   

• Answer: Saboteur

Para Jumble Practice:

Here’s a para-jumble based on the words from today’s session:

1. Arrange the following sentences in a meaningful order:
   
   

• A. The government faces significant challenges in maintaining the integrity of electoral rolls.
  
  

• B. One of the main concerns highlighted is the exclusion of certain voters.
  
  

• C. The deletion of these names from the rolls undermines democratic processes.
  
  

• D. These deletions are mainly due to errors in the enumeration forms or poor data mapping.
  
  

• E. Electoral rolls must be carefully revised to avoid disenfranchising citizens.
  
  

Answer:

• Correct Order: A, D, B, C, E

Daily "The Hindu" Editorial 20 December 2025

• Promise and delivery: On Telangana’s rural local body elections, results
  
  

• In Telangana, the Congress is making steady progress in the rural local body elections, securing a significant majority of the seats. This outcome aligns with the long-standing political tradition in the state, where the ruling party traditionally does well in these elections. Telangana’s political landscape shows a clear pattern when compared to other states like Kerala, where local body elections are more competitive.
  
  

• The success of Congress is attributed to the party’s rural welfare policies, combined with the alignment of rural elites with the party in power, specifically the first-time Chief Minister, A. Revanth Reddy’s leadership. Although RLB elections are supposed to be non-partisan, political parties have always provided substantial support to candidates, turning these elections into de facto party-based contests.
  
  

Questions:

1. The primary purpose of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) mentioned in the passage is:
   
   

• A. Increase voter turnout in elections
  
  

• B. Update electoral rolls through enumeration and digitisation
  
  

• C. Introduce Aadhaar as the only identity proof
  
  

• D. Conduct elections in seven States
  
  

• Answer: B
  
  

2. According to the passage, which State witnessed deletions amounting to 15% of its pre-SIR electoral rolls?
   
   

• A. West Bengal
  
  

• B. Bihar
  
  

• C. Tamil Nadu
  
  

• D. Kerala
  
  

• Answer: C
  
  

3. The deletions in West Bengal were reportedly the highest in:
   
   

• A. Rural areas
  
  

• B. Border districts
  
  

• C. Tribal regions
  
  

• D. Urban areas, especially Kolkata
  
  

• Answer: D
  
  

4. A clearer picture of the gender breakup and reasons for deletions will emerge only after:
   
   

• A. The Supreme Court’s intervention
  
  

• B. Parsing the ECI’s booth-wise data
  
  

• C. Completion of the next election
  
  

• D. Aadhaar verification is made compulsory
  
  

• Answer: B
  
  

5. What issue did the ECI identify with many enumeration forms in West Bengal?
   
   

• A. Incomplete citizenship details
  
  

• B. Absence of Aadhaar numbers
  
  

• C. Doubtful linkages or unmapped data
  
  

• D. Duplicate voter photographs
  
  

• Answer: C